Nurse practitioner known for old-timey Sunday meals – Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

“That all came from my maternal grandmother, Earlene Black,” Harbin said. “There’s a lot of us granddaughters, and she was a huge influence in our lives. We were sloppy learners, but it was fun for her, and now we can all cook. She was also a surgical tech at Ackerman Hospital, and now there are eight in the family that are nurses, and four who advanced to nurse practitioner.”

Harbin is a family nurse practitioner at Auburn Clinic in East Tupelo. Her husband, Terry, is the principal at Milam Elementary; they have two children, Sidney and Peyton.

After high school, Harbin went to Itawamba Community College, where she got her nursing degree. She practiced nursing for 12 years, then went to school at the University of North Alabama for her bachelor of science in nursing. She earned her master’s degree from Mississippi University for Women.

Ever since she and Terry moved to East Tupelo, their home has been a revolving door on Sundays.

“My mother-in-law, neighbors, friends, business partners, my kids if they’re in town – I’m known for my cooking,” said Harbin, 56. “We’ll have anywhere from three to eight people.”

Sunday dinner is not necessarily going to be a healthy meal.

“My green beans – I call them Sunday Green Beans because you can’t eat them but once a week,” said Harbin, who had weight-loss surgery in 2013 and has maintained a 60-pound weight loss. “My claim to fame in Ackerman is that I was the fattest homecoming queen they ever had.”

Harbin rounds out her Sunday meal with fried chicken, pork chops or a beef roast with all the trimmings; peas, slaw, fried okra, corn, cornbread and dessert. Everything’s prepared in cookware that’s at least 100 years old.

“My pans are as old as my great-grandmother,” she said. “When people die, family members fight over jewelry or furniture or a car. I’m in the kitchen grabbing the pots and pans.”

Harbin keeps her freezers and pantry stocked, so she can prepare a meal anytime without having to go to the store.

“I’m prepared every day, every month of the year,” she said. “I’m bad to stock up. That’s what you did when you lived in the country.”

Harbin has hundreds of cookbooks, but she rarely tries new recipes, preferring to cook what she knows.

“I nurture people through my food,” she said. “When somebody is sick, or something goes wrong, I cook. When somebody dies, I can feed 50 folks easily. Corn, cabbage, peas, a big thing of vegetable soup, fried chicken, two or three pones of cornbread, and my husband will make two or three cakes to take. It’s easier to sit around visiting with family when you’ve got a full stomach.”

DO YOU KNOW A GOOD COOK? Send your nominations to Ginna Parsons, Cook of the Week, P.O. Box 909, Tupelo, MS 38802. Or you can call (662) 678-1581 or email them to ginna.parsons@journalinc.com.

1 tablespoon bacon grease

3 tablespoons corn starch

Cut kernels from corn and put the corn and its milk in a skillet. Add water, depending on how much juice you get from your corn. Add sugar, salt, pepper and bacon grease. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble, about 15 minutes.

Whisk together whole milk and corn starch until there are no lumps. Slowly add to bubbling corn to thicken it. Once it’s thick, turn off the heat. Do not cover the pan with a lid or corn will will get watery.

1 (101-ounce) can green beans

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, divided

Place green beans, vinegar, salt, oil and 1 cup sugar in a large Crock-Pot. Cook on high for 2 hours, then on low overnight.

Transfer mixture to a large skillet and cook on the stove on high heat until almost all the liquid is cooked out. Add remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and continue to cook down.

1 cup chopped bell pepper

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

Place ribs in a casserole dish, season with garlic salt, and cover with water (at least 4 cups). Cook in the oven at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Remove the ribs and take the meat off of them. Put meat back in the rib juice, and add ketchup, brown sugar, vegetables and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the casserole and bake at 375 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Uncover the casserole and cook another 30 minutes. Serve over rice with French bread.

1 box Orange Supreme cake mix

1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 small box orange gelatin

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 (15-ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained

1 (6-ounce) package frozen coconut, thawed

1 (8-ounce) tub whipped topping

Mandarin orange slices (optional)

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, milk, pudding mix, gelatin, eggs and oil and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.

Divide batter among 3 greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, coconut, sugar and sour cream. Set aside 1 cup for frosting. Place one cake layer on a serving plate; top with half of the remaining pineapple mixture. Repeat layers once; top with remaining cake layer.

Fold whipped topping into the reserved pineapple mixture and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Spread over top and sides of cake. If desired, top with mandarin orange slices. Refrigerate until serving. Best made two days before serving.

1 large pan cornbread, slightly overcooked or day-old

3/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

3/4 cup finely chopped celery

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups peeled tomatoes, chopped, with juice

Crumble cornbread in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a large baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the center is set.